Book Reviews and More: First Among the Dead - J.D. Kirk

A Rock and a Hard Place

Constable Tyler Neish Book 1

J.D. Kirk

Zertex Crime

ISBN 9781912767946

ASIN B0G6BNTM8W

First Among the Dead - J.D. Kirk - Constable Tyler Neish Book 1

I discovered the writing of J.D. Kirk in 2022, since then I have read over 50 volumes across three different pen names. I picked the first for a few reasons, but mainly because authors Alex Smith and JE Mayhew have both recommended the author and series. I am a big fan of Smith’s DCI Kett novels and Mayhew’s DCI Will Blake Series. I have been hooked since that first read. Kirk also publishes under the names Barry Hutchison and Barry J, Hutchison. I have now read the first 19 in the DCI Logan series and all 5 in the Robert Hoon series, The first two in the DI Heather Filson series as well as stand alone VIP exclusive short story.

I had no idea how addictive Kirk’s books would be or that like Mayhew and Smith, Kirk publishes under three different names. Kirk publishes children books as Barry Hutchison, and other adult fiction as Barry J. Hutchison. He has published over 200 books across the three pen names. If I had known that or I might not have picked up this first one. Friends call me a ‘completionist’ in that when I find an author I like, I try to read everything they have published. Being caught up now on his works as J.D. Kirk I will have to wait for each new one to come out, and this volume was well worth the weight.

The description of this novel is:

“All coppers have a first case. His might also be his last.

Inverness, December 2015.

The streets are frozen, the days are short, and Constable Tyler Neish is entirely out of his depth.

Fresh out of training, Tyler is desperate to make a good impression. He wants to seem capable, commanding, and professional. Unfortunately, he’s mostly known for falling over in the snow and being terrified of his own shadow.

But when sixteen-year-old Laura Wilder goes missing, the job suddenly gets personal. To the weary brass at Burnett Road Police Station, Laura is just a low-risk repeat runaway who’ll be home by dinner time. To Tyler, she’s his best mate’s little sister, and he knows that something is wrong.

Ordered to stay in his lane by the bureaucratic nightmare that is Chief Inspector “Snecky” Grant, and threatened with grisly dismemberment by the terrifying Detective Superintendent Hoon, Tyler must make a choice: follow orders and keep his job, or go rogue and save a life.

For Tyler, that isn't a choice at all.

Armed only with a notebook, damp trousers, and a near total lack of common sense, the rookie constable plunges headlong into the freezing city to uncover the truth.

But in the Highlands of Scotland, the truth is like ice—slippery, dangerous, and liable to break if you push it too hard.”

We are also informed:

“First Among the Dead is a standalone prequel novella following the early adventures of fan favourite character DC Tyler Neish from the DCI Jack Logan series, and the perfect introduction to the world and characters of bestselling Scottish crime fiction author, JD Kirk.”

Tyler Neish is a favourite character in the DCI Logan Books and in the Robert Hoon novels. This is his back story, or at least part of it. He is a new recruit on the Inverness police force, and he wants to make his mark. Unfortunately he seems as good at messing up, and not following orders as he is eager and determined. Not a great combination. But when a mates sister is missing and no one seems to be taking it seriously, he is willing to break the rules because it is personal.

This story is very different than the rest of the series in that it goes back in time. It gives us a look at a very green Neish. A much younger Detective Superintendent Robert Hoon, Chief Inspector Samuel ‘Snecky’ Grant, DI Ben Forde, and even Dave Davidson. So we encounter a number of the regulars an see them in a different light.

I read most of this while travelling over the holidays. It is a great read, and I really hope Kirk releases more stories like this giving us more insight into Neish or even other members of the team. I love the three series written under the pen name J.D. Kirk and they are definitely Scottish Mysteries, or Scottish Police Crime novels. This story is not as dark or gritty as many written by Kirk, but it is a great expansion of the Scottish Crime novels he writes. A really good story I can easily recommend! Give it a read at Neish tried to figure out how he will handle his first dead body on the job.

Books by J.D. Kirk:

The Bone House

My Daughter is Missing

The Woman Downstairs

…

DCI Logan Series:

The Last Bloody Straw

A Whisper of Sorrows